Building brick and process of making same



Patented July 24, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT L. TAYLOR, OF MIDWAY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES L. MCKENZIE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL- VAN 1A.

BUILDING BRICK AND PROCESS OF MAKHTG SAME.

1T0 Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT L. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Midway, in the county of T'Vashington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building .Bricks and Processes of Making the Same, of which the following is .a specification.

My invention is an improvement in the manufacture of building brick or blocks of various forms for use in walls, sewers, pavements, or wherever durability and resistance to strains, weather, and heat are required.

It contemplates the use of a particular kind of blast furnace slag known as manganese slag, by reason of certain inherent qualities contributing to its successful use in a special degree, when utilized for the manufacture of building units, in the manner hereinafter more fully described.

As is well known, ordinary blast furnace slag, incident to the making of the usual Bessemer or other pig iron as a by-product, is now largely utilized as a base for the manufacture of concrete, when crushed and mixed with a suitable proportion of lime and cement, with any alumina present, and enough water to form a plastic mass.

Ordinarily, however, the proportion of silica derived from Bessemer ore, combined with thelimestone, is greater, and the pro portion of alumina, combined with the limestone, is-smaller than desirable for the best results, in utilizing ordinary slag. At the same time, the proportion of lime and alumina is not suflicient to ensure the proper bond without the addition of supplemental uantities of lime or cement in the mixture, t ereby greatly adding to the ultimate cost.

On the other hand, blast furnace slag derived from the smelting of ferro manganese ore in the blast furnace contains in itself constituents in substantially the proper proportions, so that when properly treated, the resulting blocks, etc, as made by my improved process, are produced without the necessity of any supplemental bonding material, or of a very small proportion only, for certain special uses. A typical analysis of ferro manganese slag suitable for use in my Application filed March 31, 1922. Serial no nasao.

improvedprocess and for the production of the resulting product, is as follows:

The manganese content of the slag should be substantial, i. e., not less than 3% of the whole.

In utilizing manganese slag of the above constituency, and substantially corresponding proportions as to analysis of the several main elements, the mass is crushed or ground preferably into fine particles of not larger than say substantially 100 mesh screen, but I do not limit myself to this grading of material, as much coarser material may be used and give highly satisfactory results. The ground slaw is then placed in a grinding or mixing mill, and further ground, if necessary. A proper proportion of water is added, depending on the amount of moisture already present, and thoroughly mixed to produce a plastic mass. The simultaneous mixing with water and the grinding operation is important in contributing to a very thorough and intimate integration of the several elements, not-only mechanically, but in order to ensure very even distribution of the large lime content throughout the batch,

to ensure the final desirable compact chemical association of the particles under pressure. This operation is continued until a coherent mass of proper consistency is produced.

Thus, in order to test for suflicient treatment, if a sample mass is taken in the hand and packed together and pressed by the thumb, if it merely breaks apartand does not crumble, the grinding and mixing proc- If ess has reached the final stae.

crumbles, the grinding is not su cient, and

should be continued furthen If it is too plastic and does not break at all, the moismakin machines, of whatever final form is desireti and each unit is subjected to very great pressure, say from 80 to 100 tons. The unitsin-such finally compressed form are T then removed from the press molds and introduoed into a suitable hardening'chamber iessure, for say not less than eight hours. hey are then removed and are ready for air, or elsewhere.

, The silica and alumina content of the ;mixture provide the roper substance or body'for the resulting look, while theproportion of lime naturally present in the ferro tmangane se sla forms the desirable binding I hold to very rmly associate and hold the ,1: mass together.

The magnesia and manganese constituents, with these, supplement the body porf tion and give a definite additional strength, with a certain degree of desirable metallic character and lustre, all of which qualities are very desirable in building material of this kind. T The resulting bricks, blocks, or units of f whatever form is desired will resist great crushing strains,"or will withstand continuous temperatures of 2000 F.

I They are suitable for building walls, sewers, street paving and similar uses, and have a low co-eifici'ent of expansion and contraction. They may be utilized as tile, and by 'the'addition of various coloring subg stances, are available for mosaic or other i orn ental purposes. Ifdesired for pave- 1 men s, 'or wherever they are subjected to attr'ition or wear, a

or sa 3%, v ture, u or marily such will not bere quired.

described my invention, what I p The processof making building blocks or the like consisting in first crushing ferro manganese slag containing not less than 3% of manganese to a proper consistency, then and mixing the crushed inltlie presence of steam and under steam the market, and may be stored in'theopen sli ht proportion of e t may a e mass with water to a suitable consistency, f" then pressing the same in molds, and drying, substantiallyas set forth. 12."The process of making building blocks or the like consisting in first crushing ferro manganese slag to a proper consistency, mixing the mass with water 'to foi1n anintimat'ely' associated plastic miktii'refholding unitary portions under pressure," and then subjecting the compremed and molded units to steam and drying them, substantially as set forth.

3. A building block or the like composed Q of ferro manganese slag containing not less than 3% of manganese treated in the manner described. 3 v

4. A building block or the like composed of ferro man anese slag treated in the manner describe ,and containing silica, alumina, lime, magnesia, and manganese in substantially the proportions stated after -ha'v'in been crushed, mixed with Water, and pressed r'ocess of making building bloc to form.

"5. The

or the liize consisting in grinding ferromanganese slag containing not less than 3% ofmanganese forming a plastic m'ass th'erefrom with water, molding the mass-into blocks. and allowing the blocks to harden.

6. The process of making building bloiiks or the like consisting in the grinding of-a furnace slag containing not-less that3% of manganese, inherently having a sufiici'ent ly high alumina and lime'content to cause the same to harden when made into a plasti mass, mixin themass into'blooks and allowing them to arden. Z. Aslag building block'or the *l'ike'containing manganese in the proportion or-a least'3%. p 8. 'A building block or the like cdm pcised of a furnace-slag having a substantial ganese content. i

9. A building block or the likeompbed principally of ferroman anese slag.

In testimony whereof "hereunto ailix li'ny signature. v

ROBERT L. 

